Britain, America and the Special Relationship since 1941 examines the Anglo-American strategic and military relationship that developed during the Second World War and continued until recent years. Forged on a common ground of social, cultural, and ideological values as well as political expediency, this partnership formed the basis of the western alliance throughout the Cold War, playing an essential part in bringing stability to the post-1945 international order. Clearly written and chronologically organized, the book begins by discussing the origins of the ‘Special Relationship’ and its progression from uneasy coexistence in the eighteenth century to collaboration at the start of the Second World War. McKercher explores the continued evolution of this partnership during the conflicts that followed, such as the Suez Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Falklands War. The book concludes by looking at the developments in British and American politics during the past two decades and analysing the changing dynamics of this alliance over the course of its existence. Illustrated with maps and photographs and supplemented by a chronology of events and list of key figures, this is an essential introductory resource for students of the political history and foreign policies of Britain and the United States in the twentieth century.

Table of Contents:
List of figures Maps Chronology Who’s Who Abbreviations Part I: Prologue Chapter 1: The Anglo-American ‘Special Relationship’ Part II: Britain, America, and the Origins of the Special Relationship Chapter 2: The Anglo-American Relationship before 1939 The Uneasy Relationship, 1782-1900 Britain, America, and Stability in International Politics, 1900-1914 The Drift to Co-operation in the First World War The Paris Peace Conference and the American Return to Isolationism, 1919- Anglo-American Economic Competition, 1919-1939 Arms Limitation and International Security, 1919-1939 Chapter 3: The Second World War and the Advent of the ‘Special Relationship’ The Immediate Origins of the Relationship, September 1939-December 1941 Churchill and Roosevelt: War and Diplomacy, December 1941-November 1943 Britain, America, and the Advent of a New International Order, November 1943-May 1945 Part III: Cold War, Limited War, and the ‘Special Relationship’, 1945-2015 Chapter 4: The ‘Special Relationship’ and the Early Cold War, May 1945-July 1954 The Genesis of the Cold War, May 1945-June 1948 The German Question and the Rise of NATO, June 1948-May 1954 Britain, America, and Decolonisation in East Asia, May 1945-July 1954 Chapter 5: From Cold War to Détente, 1954-1968 British decolonisation and the Road to Suez, 1954-1956 Britain, America, and the Problem of the Middle East, November 1956-November 1968 European Defense and the German Question, 1954-1968 Chapter 6: From Détente to Renewed Cold War, 1965-1979 Britain and American Involvement in Vietnam, January 1965-April 1973 Britain, America, and European Economic Integration, January 1969-December 1979 Soviet Russian Expansionism and the Anglo-American Response, May 1975-December 1979 Chapter 7: Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and the ‘Special Relationship’, December 1979-December 1988 Carter, Reagan, and Thatcher: To Euromissile Deployment in Europe, 1981-1985 The Falklands War and the Strength of the ‘Special Relationship’, 1982-1983 Thatcher, Reagan, and Mikhail Gorbachev: The Weakening of Soviet Russia, 1983-1988 Chapter 8: The ‘Special Relationship’ and the New International Order, 1989-2015 George H.W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, and the End of the Cold War, 1989-1990 The ‘Special Relationship’ and the Gulf War, 1990-1992 Britain, America, and the Balkans, 1992-1998 George Bush, Jr, Tony Blair, the War Against Terrorism, and Changing International Politics, 2001-2007 Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, and David Cameron: Challenges Old and New after 2007 Part IV: Epilogue Chapter 9: The Anglo-American ‘Special Relationship’ and International Politics since 1941: An Appraisal Part V: Documents Glossary Guide to Further Reading Index Bibliography